


Catastrophes, Near Calamities and Happy Coincidences: The Explosive Discoveries that Shaped the Wizarding World, by Phemonora Hazard

by AlocYrrehc



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Explosions, Floo Network, Gen, Minerva just wants a quiet night of reading, Reading by the fire, Snow, that explains a lot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-12 13:48:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28886364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlocYrrehc/pseuds/AlocYrrehc
Summary: Minerva McGonagall sits down with a good book, only to learn something unexpected about one of her students.
Comments: 10
Kudos: 11
Collections: Bronze & Gold





	Catastrophes, Near Calamities and Happy Coincidences: The Explosive Discoveries that Shaped the Wizarding World, by Phemonora Hazard

**Author's Note:**

  * In response to a prompt by [pandora_rose_xo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pandora_rose_xo/pseuds/pandora_rose_xo) in the [BronzeGold](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/BronzeGold) collection. 



> **Prompt: Ignatia Wildsmith, inventor of _Floo Powder_ **
> 
> Thanks to my beta, Charlie 9646!

_From the window of her comfortable study, Minerva watched as snow whipped about the quidditch pitch, the towers and hoops barely discernible through the swirling white. She couldn’t remember a winter this cold; the chill chased every last scrap of heat from the castle. Tightening her robe, she sent another log to the fire with a casual flick of her wand. Tea in hand, she settled next to the fire, tucked an errant curl back into her hairnet, picked up_ Catastrophes, Near Calamities and Happy Coincidences: The Explosive Discoveries that Shaped the Wizarding World, by Phemonora Hazard, _and resumed reading:_

  


Ignatia Wildsmith (August 1, 1227 – December 24, 1320)

Ignatia Wildsmith, famed inventor of Floo Powder, was born in Redcastle, Ireland, to witch Epona Thistle and muggle Fearghus Wildsmith. Little is known of her youth prior to admittance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, though it is commonly believed her mother kept both her own and Ignatia’s magical status a secret from Fearghus. Ignatia had three older brothers, none of whom attended Hogwarts, and are therefore believed to have been muggles.

Upon her admittance to Hogwarts, Ignatia was sorted into Ravenclaw, immediately proving herself worthy of the prestigious house. By the end of her fourth year, she’d won several awards for her extracurricular work in Herbology, Alchemy and Potions. According to the portrait of Heliotrope Wilkins, Hogwarts’ headmaster from 1213 until his passing in 1265, Ignatia turned down the role of Prefect in her fifth year, citing concerns that it would interfere with her independent studies. Though he could provide no direct evidence Wildsmith was working on floo powder during her time at Hogwarts, Wilkins mentioned that small explosions in the Ravenclaw tower were not uncommon during her tenure. In fact, the Ravenclaw dormitories were temporarily evacuated in winter 1245 when an explosion in the top floor rendered the entire structure uninhabitable while a team of architects worked to rebuild and reinforce the towers.

Upon graduation from Hogwarts Wildsmith returned to Ireland, where she caused no shortage of scandal as her experiments became ever more explosive. On one occasion in 1252 one such experiment backfired, starting a fire which burned down the local church. As a result, the townspeople accused her of witchcraft and called for her to be burned at the stake. She fled to London and purchased a small storefront in Diagon Alley from which she sold potions ingredients. After her death, this tiny storefront would become the headquarters of Floo-Pow.

Shortly after her arrival in England, she met Arnie Wackett (1222 – 1275), of whom little is known beyond being sorted into Hufflepuff during his time at Hogwarts. The two were never married, but together had six children, all of whom took their mother’s surname, and were sorted into Ravenclaw during their years at Hogwarts. Wildsmith was largely out of the public eye from 1255 until Arnie’s death in 1275, presumably dedicating her time to her children.

Little is known of Wildsmith’s life after Arnie’s death. It is assumed, based on the dramatic increase in reported fires in Diagon Alley beginning in 1276, that she resumed her experimentation from the back of her shop. She remained out of the public eye until August 1320, when she presented her new invention, “Floo Powder,” to then head of the Wizard’s Council Ziggy Birdwhistle. He was so impressed by the invention he reportedly created a team of wizards to begin the process of connecting floos the very same day. This group continued to connect and service floos, and eventually become the Floo Network Authority upon the establishment of the Ministry of Magic in 1707. Ignatia then returned to Ireland, where she remained until her passing. She is buried in the cemetery of the same church she burnt down in 1252.

Two of Ignatia’s direct descendants still live in Europe today: Fergus Wildsmith Sr, who currently serves as head of Floo-Pow Corporation, lives in London with his wife Ariana and son, Fergus Jr. His sister, Maeve Finnegan, née Wildsmith, is the owner of Wildsmith Pub in Redcastle, where she resides with her husband Patrick, and son, Seamus.

  


_Minerva closed her book, chuckling to herself. “Ah, my dear mister Finnegan. That explains so much.”_


End file.
